Algeria and Morocco side with Arab countries on Iran conflict

Morocco has condemned Iranian attacks against Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as reported by TelQuel on February 28th.

The Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement expressing “full solidarity with its Arab brother states”, adding that Iran had violated the territorial integrity of these countries.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI also called regional leaders to express his “strong condemnation” of the attacks, adding that their countries’ security was an “indivisible part’ of Morocco’s security and stability.

Algeria has similarly expressed support for impacted countries, with Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf receiving ambassadors from Gulf countries impacted and calling for dialogue and restraint. His ministry also issued a statement describing these states as “victims of military aggression” in a wider context of escalation.

Following a US-Israel attack on Tehran, Iran retaliated with strikes and drone attacks on American military bases across the Middle East, hitting Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Kuwait and Bahrain’s capital Manama. A building hosting the Israeli embassy and Dubai’s international airport was also targeted.

Oman, which had hosted indirect negotiations between the US and Iran on February 6th, was not targeted. The attacks resulted in a number of deaths, with at least 5 people killed across the region and dozens of injuries. On the other hand, over 500 have reportedly been killed in Iran.

The UAE has now recalled its ambassador from Iran, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held an emergency meeting, with officials stating they would take all necessary steps to protect their security, including possible retaliations against Iran.

Gulf countries had originally pushed for diplomacy to address Iran and acted as mediators, within a context of rapprochement among the Saudi, Emirati, and Iranian leaderships over the past 3 years.

Direct strikes on their territories will likely push them to review their stance, but there is also growing discontent in these countries over the presence of American bases.

TelQuel, Hespress, TSA Algérie, Maghrebi.org